awalt
05-18-2009, 11:33 AM
From Sporting News today and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette...
Even though the salary cup jumped surprisingly to $128 million, the Steelers remain strapped. The team,. according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is only $5.6 million under the new threshold and thus might not be able to offer extensions to any of their NINE starters entering the final year of their contracts.
Tight end Heath Miller, halfback Willie Parker, nose tackle Casey Hampton, defensive end Brett Keisel, tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon, free safety Ryan Clark, center Justin Hartwig and kicker Jeff Reed all have contracts that expire after this season.
While the Steelers created more room with their recent moves, and the salary cap for each NFL team rose nearly $12 million since last season to $128 million, most of that cap room already has been gobbled up by higher salaries for 2009 to the point the Steelers were barely under the NFL cap before the draft. They also have their draft choices to sign.
One reason they don't have much wiggle room is the large increase in Ben Roethlisberger's cap figure. It was nearly $8 million last year, the first of his contract extension; it rises to more than $13.2 million this year. Other increases, although not as dramatic, include Keisel's climb of nearly $2 million to almost $5 million.
The Steelers have done a good job remaining not only competitive but winning two Super Bowls while managing the cap without wounding their future. They will be tested anew this year and next. They have paved the way to keep 20 of their 22 starters intact, but they may not be able to hold onto many or any of those nine who have one year left. One reason they don't have much wiggle room is the large increase in Ben Roethlisberger's cap figure. It was nearly $8 million last year, the first of his contract extension; it rises to more than $13.2 million this year. Other increases, although not as dramatic, include Keisel's climb of nearly $2 million to almost $5 million.
The Steelers have done a good job remaining not only competitive but winning two Super Bowls while managing the cap without wounding their future. They will be tested anew this year and next. They have paved the way to keep 20 of their 22 starters intact, but they may not be able to hold onto many or any of those nine who have one year left.
Kevin Colbert publicly proclaimed their desire to sign Starks to a contract extension, and Starks is open to a long-term deal. But with a guarantee of nearly $8.5 million this season as their franchise player, it does not seem plausible. The signing bonus alone would have to be enormous, in the $15 million range, for Starks to begin to entertain an extension. They tried last year after they guaranteed Starks a contract of nearly $8 million and could not do it. Why would anyone think they could pull it off this season?
They most likely will try to sign Miller and Reed to extensions as priorities, and perhaps Clark. They have no one behind either of those three who can measure up. Whether they can do so or not is another matter. The others may have to wait until after the season.
The unknown is whether a new collective bargaining agreement will occur before free agency in March. If not, players such as Miller and Colon will be restricted free agents rather than unrestricted, and each NFL team can tag two franchise players instead of one. That would, for instance, allow them to virtually keep four potential free agents -- Miller, Colon and two franchise players.
Even though the salary cup jumped surprisingly to $128 million, the Steelers remain strapped. The team,. according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is only $5.6 million under the new threshold and thus might not be able to offer extensions to any of their NINE starters entering the final year of their contracts.
Tight end Heath Miller, halfback Willie Parker, nose tackle Casey Hampton, defensive end Brett Keisel, tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon, free safety Ryan Clark, center Justin Hartwig and kicker Jeff Reed all have contracts that expire after this season.
While the Steelers created more room with their recent moves, and the salary cap for each NFL team rose nearly $12 million since last season to $128 million, most of that cap room already has been gobbled up by higher salaries for 2009 to the point the Steelers were barely under the NFL cap before the draft. They also have their draft choices to sign.
One reason they don't have much wiggle room is the large increase in Ben Roethlisberger's cap figure. It was nearly $8 million last year, the first of his contract extension; it rises to more than $13.2 million this year. Other increases, although not as dramatic, include Keisel's climb of nearly $2 million to almost $5 million.
The Steelers have done a good job remaining not only competitive but winning two Super Bowls while managing the cap without wounding their future. They will be tested anew this year and next. They have paved the way to keep 20 of their 22 starters intact, but they may not be able to hold onto many or any of those nine who have one year left. One reason they don't have much wiggle room is the large increase in Ben Roethlisberger's cap figure. It was nearly $8 million last year, the first of his contract extension; it rises to more than $13.2 million this year. Other increases, although not as dramatic, include Keisel's climb of nearly $2 million to almost $5 million.
The Steelers have done a good job remaining not only competitive but winning two Super Bowls while managing the cap without wounding their future. They will be tested anew this year and next. They have paved the way to keep 20 of their 22 starters intact, but they may not be able to hold onto many or any of those nine who have one year left.
Kevin Colbert publicly proclaimed their desire to sign Starks to a contract extension, and Starks is open to a long-term deal. But with a guarantee of nearly $8.5 million this season as their franchise player, it does not seem plausible. The signing bonus alone would have to be enormous, in the $15 million range, for Starks to begin to entertain an extension. They tried last year after they guaranteed Starks a contract of nearly $8 million and could not do it. Why would anyone think they could pull it off this season?
They most likely will try to sign Miller and Reed to extensions as priorities, and perhaps Clark. They have no one behind either of those three who can measure up. Whether they can do so or not is another matter. The others may have to wait until after the season.
The unknown is whether a new collective bargaining agreement will occur before free agency in March. If not, players such as Miller and Colon will be restricted free agents rather than unrestricted, and each NFL team can tag two franchise players instead of one. That would, for instance, allow them to virtually keep four potential free agents -- Miller, Colon and two franchise players.